Angel Rewritten
by ConfusedColumbia26220
Summary: So, I am rewriting every single episode of Buffy, with one slight change – Jenny Calendar killed off in Passion, season 2 episode 17 will be in every single one. Don't like it, don't read it. That simple. S1E7
1. Chapter 1

**AN: So, I am rewriting every single episode of Buffy, with one slight change – Jenny Calendar (killed off in Passion, season 2 episode 17) will be in every single one. Don't like it, don't read it. That simple. If you do like it, I would also suggest that you start out by reading the first six rewritten episodes, before you read this. This is the 7th epiosde rewritten for season one. In the summaries S#E# represents what season and episode the story takes place. It would be best if you went in order - I guarantee you will be lost unless you go episode by episode. **

In every generation there is a Chosen One. She alone will stand against the vampires, the demons and the forces of darkness. She is the Slayer.

In The Master's lair, Collin was tossing stones into the pool. He took a few more from the Master's hand.

Darla came into the lair.

"Zachary didn't return from the hunt last night," The Master stated.

"The Slayer," Darla explained.

"Zachary was strong, and he was careful. And still the Slayer takes him... as she has taken so many of my family." The Master took a breath. "It wears thin. Collin, what would you do about it?"

"I'd annihilate her."

The Master inhaled. "Out of the mouths of babes..."

Darla made her way down to them. "Let me do it, Master. Let me kill her for you."

"You have a personal interest in this," The Master observed.

"I don't get to have any fun," Darla said disappointedly.

"I will send the Three."

Darla was intrigued. "The Three?"

In an alley, three tough guys were lighting up cigarettes. The Three came around a corner at a steady, deliberate pace. The men saw them coming and left.

At the Bronze, a cockroach was being chased along the floor.

"Get it! Go get it, right there!" A boy encouraged.

"I got it!" A girl held the roach up to the bartender and dropped it into his jar. "Free drink, please."

The bartender nodded his head and went to get the drink.

Willow and Buffy were sitting at a table.

"Ah, the fumigation party," Willow stated.

"Hmm?"

"It's an annual tradition. The closing of the Bronze for a few days to nuke the cockroaches?"

Buffy wasn't paying attention. "Oh."

"It's a lot of fun... What's it like where _you_ are?"

Buffy looked up and smiled. "I'm... sorry, I was just... thinking about things..."

"So, we're talking about a guy?"

"Not exactly a guy. For us to have a conversation about a guy, there'd have to be a guy for us to have a conversation about. Is that a sentence?"

Willow smiled. "You lack a guy."

"I do. Which is fine with me, most of the time, but..."

"What about Angel?"

"Angel? I can just see him in a relationship. 'Hi, honey, you're in grave danger. I'll see you next month.'"

"He's not around much, it's true."

Buffy looked into space dreamily. "When he is around... it's like the lights dim everywhere else. You know how it's like that with some guys?"

"Oh, yeah!" Willow looked over to Xander, who was on the dance floor, making a fool of himself.

He danced up to a girl. "Hey, Annie!" He saw her boyfriend. "Dino, just leaving!"

He backed away and bumped into Cordelia.

"Ouch! Please get your extreme oafishness off my two-hundred-dollar shoes!"

"I'm sorry, I was just..."

"...getting off the dance floor before Annie Vega's boyfriend squashes you like a bug?"

"Oh, so you noticed."

"Uh-huh."

"Yeah, thanks for being so understanding."

"Sure."

"Y'know, hey, I don't know what everyone's talking about. That outfit doesn't make you look like a hooker!" Xander laughed and left the dance floor. He went over to Buffy and Willow. "Boy, that Cordelia is a regular breath of vile air. What are you vixens up to?"

"Just sitting here, watching our barren lives pass us by," Willow answered. She saw a roach. "Oh, look, a cockroach." She stomped on it.

Buffy lifted her eyes to see and then turned them back down.

"Whoa, well, let's stop this crazy whirligig of fun! I'm dizzy!" Xander joked.

"Alright, now I'm infecting those nearest and dear to me. I'm gonna call it a night." Buffy got up.

"Oh, don't go!"

"Uh, yeah! It's early! We could, um, dance!" Xander suggested.

"Rain check? Good night." Buffy left.

Xander let out a breath.

Willow held her shoe up to him. "Want a free drink?"

Buffy made her way out of the Bronze, looking bummed. She passed the stairs. Angel was watching her go. Buffy sensed something and turned to look. Angel was gone. She continued out.

Buffy was walking home, along the street. She sensed something and stopped to look behind her. Nothing. She continued and walked past an alley. She heard a breath and stopped. "It's late, I'm tired, and I don't wanna play games. Show yourself."

One of the Three roared and dropped down to the sidewalk behind her. She reached into her coat, pulled out a stake, and quickly spun around to stake the vampire. Another of the Three grabbed her arm as she swung.

"Wuh!" Buffy was surprised.

The third member came up on her other side and grabbed her other arm.

"Ooo! Okay, okay, nice..."

They pulled her into the alley and up against a fence. The first one approached her.

"Okay, okay... Look, I really don't wanna fight all three of you... unless I have to." She snap kicked him in the crotch, elbowed the third, and tried to punch the second. He blocked her swing and thrusted his knee into her gut, slamming her into the fence. The other two recovered and grabbed her again. The second one slowly approached her with death in his eyes. Buffy was terrified and struggled to get away.

In an alley, a vampire came up to Buffy, grabbed her head, and moved in to bite.

Angel came up behind him, grabbed him by the hair, and pulled him off of her. "Good dogs don't..." He punched the vampire. "_Bite!_"

Buffy was surprised, but quickly regained her head. Using the support of the two vampires holding onto her arms, she kicked up with both feet and hit them both in the face with a straddle kick. One of them grabbed her again and held her against the fence. Angel continued to fight the other two, punching one and snap kicking the second. One of them pulled a piece of iron bar off of a window.

"Look out!" Buffy cried.

Angel turned around, only to be sliced in the chest with the bar. Buffy shoved an open palm into her assailant's chin, pushing him off of her, punched him once in the gut and then slammed both fists into his head. Angel was bent over in pain and was about to be stabbed again. Buffy quickly side kicked his attacker in the face, and he fell back away from Angel. She helped Angel up.

"Run!"

Buffy and Angel ran out of the alley. The Three got up and gave chase.

On Buffy's street, she and Angel jumped over the bushes in front of her house and ran onto the porch. The Three were hot on their trail.

Buffy got the front door open. "Get in! C'mon!" She rushed inside. Angel was right behind her. Buffy slammed the door on one of the vampire's hands. He struggled a moment, but pulled his hand back out. She slammed the door shut and locked it. The vampire looked in through the glass. Another one looked in through the window.

"It's alright. A vampire can't come in unless it's invited," Angel told her.

"I've heard that before, but I've never put it to the test." Buffy leaned on the door and saw his wound. "Oh... I'll go get some bandages, just... take your jacket and your shirt off." She headed into the kitchen. Angel looked out the window one last time and followed her. He took off his jacket and his T-shirt. Buffy looked at him from behind and saw his tattoo of a griffin straddling a large "A" below his right shoulder. She brung over the first aid kit. "Nice tattoo." She exhaled. "I was lucky you came along." She looked up at him. "How did you happen to come along?" She began to bandage him.

"I live nearby. I was just out walking."

"So, you weren't following me?" Buffy asked. "I just had this feeling you were."

Angel smiled. "Why would I do that?"

"You tell me. You're the Mystery Guy that appears out of nowhere. I'm not saying I'm not happy about it tonight, but... if you are hanging around I'd like to know why." She finished bandaging him.

"Maybe I like you."

"Maybe..."

They smiled at each other. Buffy heard the door open and quickly went to intercept her mom. She was also worried about the Three outside. She pulled her mom into the house and closed the door.

"Hi! What are you doing?" Joyce asked.

"There's a lot of weird people outside at night..."

Joyce started toward the kitchen. Buffy started after her.

"...I just feel better with you safe and sound inside. You must be beat."

"I am. We're a little gallery. You have no idea how much..."

Buffy interrupted, "Well, then why don't you go upstairs and get into bed, and I can bring you some hot tea?"

"That's sweet!" She thought for a moment. "What'd you do?" She asked suspiciously.

"Can't a daughter just be concerned about her mother?"

Angel went into the living room behind Buffy.

Joyce saw him. "Hi."

"Hi."

"Oh! Okay... Um... Angel, uh, this is my mom. Mom, this is Angel. Uh, we ran into each other on the way home."

"Nice to meet you," Angel greeted.

"What do you do, Angel?" Joyce asked.

"He's a student."

Joyce gave Buffy a disbelieving look.

"Uh, first year community college. Angel's been helping me with my history, you know I've been toiling there."

"It's a little late for tutoring. I'm gonna go to bed, and, uh, Buffy?" She started up the stairs.

"I'll say good night and do the same!"

Joyce looked back down at her daughter and nodded. "It was nice to meet you," she told Angel.

A bit later, Buffy was holding the front door open. "Good night! We'll hook up soon and do that study thing!" She closed the door. Angel was still there behind it. They went up the stairs and into her room. She closed the door quietly.

"Look, I don't wanna get you in any more trouble..." Angel started.

"And I don't wanna get you dead. They could still be out there." She moved to the center of the room. "So, uh-" She realized something. "Oh... two of us, one bed. That doesn't work." She faced him. "Um, why don't you take the bed? Y'know, you're wounded..."

"I'll take the floor."

"Uh, no, that's not..."

"Oh, believe me, I've had worse," he said reassuringly.

"Okay. Um, then why don't you check and see if the Fang Gang is still loitering and, um, keep your back turned while I change?"

Angel went over to the window to have a look. Buffy went to her closet and changed.

"I don't see them," Angel said.

"Y'know, I'm the Chosen One, it's my job to fight guys like that. What's your excuse?"

"Uh, somebody has to."

"Well, what does your family think of your career choice?"

"They're dead."

Buffy finished changing and went over to him. "Was it vampires?"

Angel faced her. "I-it was."

"I'm sorry."

"It was a long while ago."

"So, this is a vengeance gig for you."

Angel paused. "Y-you even look pretty when you go to sleep."

"Well, when I wake up it's an entirely different story."

They went over to her bed. She handed him the comforter from it. "Here. Sleep tight."

He laid the comforter down on the floor next to her bed. She got into her bed and he laid on the comforter.

"Angel?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you snore?"

"I don't know. It's been a long time since anybody's been in a position to let me know." He turned his head to look at her.

Buffy smiled and settled in to sleep.

The next day in the library, Buffy shared gossip with her friends.

"He spent the night? In your room? In your bed?" Xander asked.

"Not _in_ my bed, _by_ my bed."

"That is so romantic! Did you, uh... I mean, did he, uh..." Willow didn't know how to phrase her question.

Buffy smiled. "Perfect gentleman."

The girls exchanged smiles.

"Buffy, c'mon, wake up and smell the seduction. It's the oldest trick in the book." Xander wasn't impressed.

"What? Saving my life? Getting slashed in the ribs?" Buffy asked.

"Duh! I mean, guys'll do anything to impress a girl. I-I once drank an entire gallon of Gatorade without taking a breath." Xander grinned.

"It was pretty impressive. Although later there was an ick factor."

Giles came over to the table. "Can we steer this riveting conversation back to the events that happened earlier in the evening?"

Buffy sat down.

"You left the Bronze and were set upon by three unusually virile vampires." He put a book in front of her. "Did they look like this?"

"I'd better get Ms. Calendar." Willow started out.

"And say what? 'Sorry, you need a last minute substitute, we've got to fight evil. Let's go!'?" Xander asked.

"Good point." Willow returned.

Ms. Calendar emerged from Giles' office. "Knock knock. Already here."

The girls smiled, trading happy looks.

"Okay, now, I'm not one to usually pay attention to these things, but don't you have class?" Xander asked.

"She, uh, called in sick. She h-has a sub today...s-sh-sh-she chose to devote her day t-to 'fighting evil' a-as you phrased it," Giles told them.

The girls perked up.

"Who is this new and exciting Giles? Hiding away a supposedly sick teacher. Kudos!" Buffy was proud.

"Anyway-" Giles pointed to the book. "Did they look like this?"

"Yeah. What's with the uniforms?" Buffy asked.

"It seems you encountered the Three. Warrior vampires, very proud and very strong."

"How is it you always know this stuff, both of you?" Willow asked Giles and Ms. Calendar. "You always know what's going on. I never know what's going on."

"Well, you weren't here from midnight until six researching it, a-and neither was Jenny."

"No, I was sleeping," Willow replied.

"Uh, o-obviously you're hurting the Master very much. He, he wouldn't send the, the Three for just anyone. We must step up our training with weapons."

Ms. Calendar perked up. "Weapons! Fun."

"You really want to call the training your job in all this?" Giles asked.

"Duh! Do you not see the excitement on my face?"

Giles rolled his eyes. "Very well."

"Buffy, you should stay at my house until these Samurai guys are history," Xander told her.

"What?" Buffy turned to him.

"Ah-ah-ah, don't worry about Angel, Willow can run to your house and tell him to get out of town fast."

"Angel and Buffy are, are not in any immediate jeopardy. Eventually the Master will send someone else, but in the mean time the Three, having failed, will offer their own lives in penance," Giles told them.

In The Master's lair, a vampire reported to him, "We failed in our duty, and now our lives belong to you." He handed The Master a spear. The Master passed it to Darla. She started to walk around behind the Three as The Master went over to Collin.

"Pay attention, child. You are the Anointed, and there is much you must learn." The Master crouched beside him. "With power comes responsibility. True, they did fail, but also true, we who walk at night share a common bond. The taking of a life - I'm not talking about humans, of course - is a serious matter."

One of the Three raised his head in hope.

"So you would spare them?" Collin asked.

"Hmm." The Master got up. "I am weary, and their deaths will bring me little joy." The Master began to walk away, and Collin followed. Darla watched them go and smiled. She lifted the spear and dispatched the first of the Three.

The Master stopped and turned to Collin. "Of course, sometimes a little is enough." He looked over at Darla as she killed the next one, then continued away.

Giles sat a sign outside the library by the door that read, 'Library CLOSED for filing. Please come back tomorrow.'

Inside, Buffy was checking out the weapons cabinet.

"Cool! Crossbow!" She lifted it out, and saw the bolts. "Huh. Check out these babies." She took out a bolt. "Goodbye stakes, hello flying fatality. What can I shoot?"

"Um, nothing. The crossbow comes later." Giles took the crossbow from her and went to put it back.

Buffy was disappointed.

"You must first become proficient with the basic tools of combat."

Buffy looked bored.

"And let's begin..." Giles came back with two poles. He handed one to Ms. Calendar, and the other to Buffy.

"You girls ready?"

They sneered at him.

"Alright. Let's start with the quarterstaff. Which, incidentally, will, uh, require countless hours of vigorous training. I speak from experience." 

"Giles, 20th Century? I'm not gonna be fighting Friar Tuck." Buffy thought the crossbow was way cooler.

"You never know with whom or what you'll be fighting." He helped Ms. Calendar with getting the protective gear on. "And these traditions have been handed down through the ages. Now, you show me good, steady progress with the quarterstaff, and in due course we'll discuss the crossbow. Put on your pads."

Buffy laughed. "I'm not gonna need pads to fight her."

Ms. Calendar raised an eyebrow, daring her to go on.

"Well, we'll see about that." Giles did the smart thing and took Ms. Calendar's side. "En garde!" He stepped away so he wouldn't get hit in the process of training.

Ms. Calendar made several thrusts and Buffy parried them all. She took the offensive, pushed her staff to the floor and punched her in the face. She came around with the staff into her back, and again to knock her legs out from under him. Ms. Calendar fell onto her back. She stands over her.

Giles was stunned. "Good. Think she's ready for the crossbow?" He asked Ms. Calendar.

"Uh-huh."

That night at the Summers' house, Buffy came into her room. She closed the door and looked around. "Angel?"

"Hey."

She turned on her desk lamp. "Brought you some dinner. It's a little plateless, sorry." She handed him a plastic bag full of food that she pilfered from dinner. He accepted it and looked at it. "So! What'd you do all day?"

"Uh, I read a little."

Buffy looked over to her diary. It was out of place.

"And just thought about a lot of things. Buffy, I..."

"My diary? You read my diary?" She went to put it in a drawer. "That is _not_ okay! A diary is like a person's most private place!" She walked over to him. "I... You don't even know what I was writing about! 'Hunk' can mean a lot of things, bad things. And, and when it says that your eyes are 'penetrating', I meant to write 'bulging'."

"Buffy..."

"And 'A' doesn't even stand for 'Angel' for that matter, it stands for... 'Achmed', a charming foreign exchange student, so that whole fantasy part has nothing to even do with you at all..."

"Your mother moved your diary when she came in to straighten up. I watched from the closet. I didn't read it, I swear."

She just looked at him. "Oh!" She looked down, realizing what she'd said. "Oh."

"I did a lot of thinking today. I really can't be around you."

Buffy looked up.

"Because when I am..."

Buffy looked down. "Hey, no big. Water... over the bridge, under the bridge..."

"When I am all I can ever think about is how badly I want to kiss you."

"...Over the dam..." She looked up at him. "Kiss me?"

"I'm older than you, and this can't ever... I better go."

"H-how much older?"

"I should..." Buffy approached him. "...Go... You said..."

They kissed. They kissed again. They kissed passionately. She put her arm around him. The kiss went on for several moments. Angel suddenly pulled back and looked away.

"What? What is it? What's wrong?"

He turned to face her and growled. She saw he had his vampire face on and screamed. He took a last look at her and jumped out of the window. He slid down the roof and off onto the ground. Buffy went to the window and watched him run away.

Her mother came running into the room. "Buffy, what happened?"

Buffy backed away from the window. Her mom took her by the shoulders. She looked at her mom and shook her head. "Uh, nothing. I saw a shadow."

They both looked out the window.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, the team was walking up the steps from the street toward the building.

"Angel's a vampire?" Willow asked.

"I can't believe this is happening," Buffy stated. "One minute we were kissing, and the next minute..." She looked to Giles and Ms. Calendar. "Can a vampire ever be a good person? Couldn't it happen?"

"A vampire isn't a person at all," Ms. Calendar snapped.

"I think I touched a nerve."

"I've got a bit of a miff about vampires. A bit of family history, a bit of dead ancestors - not that big of a deal, though."

Giles cleared his throat. "A vampire may have the movements, the, the memories, even the personality of the person that it took over, but i-it's still a demon at the core, there is no halfway."

"So that'd be a no, huh?" Willow asked.

"Well, then what was he doing? Why was he good to me? Was it all some part of the Master's plan? It doesn't make sense!" Buffy was confused.

They reached a bench. Buffy and Willow sat.

"Alright, uh..." Xander sat as well. " ...You have a problem, and it's not a small one. Let's take a breath and look at this calmly and objectively. Angel's a vampire. You're a Slayer. I think it's obvious what you have to do."

Buffy didn't react, so Xander looked up to Giles and Ms. Calendar for support.

Giles crouched down to Buffy's level. "Uh, it is a Slayer's duty..."

"I-I know you have feelings for this guy, but it's not like you're in love with him, right?" Xander asked.

Buffy looked away.

"You're in love with a vampire? What, are you outta your mind?"

"What?" Cordelia was nearby, looking somewhere else, but turned to Xander.

Xander looked at her. "Not vampire..." He asked Buffy, "How could you love an umpire?" It was nice cover. "Everyone hates 'em!" He glanced at Ms. Calendar, who was biting her lip and looked like she would explode any second.

Cordelia looked back at another girl wearing the same dress that she was. "Where did you get that dress?" She pursued her. "This is a one-of-a-kind Todd Oldham. Do you know how much this dress cost? Is this a knockoff?" She checked the label. " This is a knockoff, isn't it? Some cheesy knockoff! This is exactly what happens when you sign these free trade agreements!"

The two girls disappeared into the building.

"You think _we _have problems..." Buffy had been watching Cordelia's hissyfit.

Angel walked down the hall outside his apartment. He went to his apartment door, unlocked it, and went inside. There were a bunch of old books stacked along a wall. He closed the door and went over to turn on a lamp. When he straightened, he sensed a presence. "Who's there?"

"A friend."

Angel quickly recognized the voice.

Darla stepped out of the shadows, wearing a Catholic schoolgirl uniform. "Hi. It's been a while."

"A lifetime."

"Or two, but who's counting?"

"What's with the Catholic schoolgirl look? Last time I saw you it was kimonos."

"And last time I saw you it wasn't high school girls." She flared the skirt. "Don't cha like?" She approached him. " Remember Budapest? Turn of the century? You were such a bad boy during that earthquake."

"You did some damage yourself."

"Is there anything better than a natural disaster?" She walked away. "The panic. The people lost in the streets. It's like picking fruit off the vine." She reached the bed. "Nice! You're living above ground, like one

of them. You and your new friend are attacking us, like one of them." She walked over to the window. "But guess what, precious? You're not one of them." She drew the blinds open, letting in a stream of sunlight. Angel was blinded, and he stumbled backward to get out of the light. "Are you?"

"No," Angel answered. "But I'm not exactly one of you either."

Darla walked to the fridge. "Is that what you tell yourself these days?" She opened the refrigerator and saw the bags and bottles of human blood. "You're not exactly living off quiche." She closed the fridge. "You and I both know what you hunger for." She went over to him. "What you need. Hey, it's nothing to be ashamed of. It's who we are. It's what makes eternal life worth living." She smiled and touched him. "Mm. You can only suppress your real nature for so long. You can feel it brewing inside of you. I hope I'm around when it explodes."

"Maybe you don't wanna be."

"I'm not afraid of you. I bet she is, though." She started to leave. "Or maybe I'm underestimating her. Talk to her. Tell her about the curse. Maybe she'll come around. And if she still doesn't trust you, you know

where I'll be." She exited the apartment, leaving an angry Angel behind.

In the library, Buffy was looking through a book, along with Willow and Xander. Giles came up behind Xander and startled him.

"Here's something at last."

"Can you please warn us before you do that?" Xander asked.

Ms. Calendar was on her laptop, but she wasn't quite researching. She wasn't going to let on that she already knew all about that vampire in particular - she'd blow her cover. So, she had to at least pretend. She hadn't taken a day off for nothing, anyway. It was just bitter luck that this was the matter at hand.

"There's nothing about Angel in the texts, but it suddenly occurred to me that it's been ages since I've read the diaries of any of the watchers before me," Giles stated.

"That musta been so embarrassing when you thought he had read your diary, but then it turned out he hadn't, but then he felt the same way..." Willow said to Buffy.

Xander gave Willow a look.

"I'm listening."

"There's mention some two hundred years ago in Ireland of, of Angelus, the one with the angelic face."

Ms. Calendar figured she'd better keep up the pretenses. She closed her laptop and paid more attention to what was being said.

"They got that right," Buffy stated.

Xander cleared his throat. "I'm not saying anything, I have nothing to say."

"Does this, uh, Angel have, um, a tattoo behind his right shoulder?" Giles asked Buffy.

"Yeah, it's a, it's a bird or something."

"Now I'm sayin' something. You saw him naked?" Xander asked.

"So, Angel's been around for a while," Willow concluded.

"Not long for a vampire. Uh, two hundred and forty years or so."

Ms. Calendar bit her lip, preventing herself from retorting that it was long enough to get most of her ancestors killed. She didn't want to startle anyone. She'd just hang on for the ride and let Giles lead.

"Huh! Two hundred and forty. Well, he said he was older." Buffy was a little stunned.

Giles took the seat next to Ms. Calendar, looking through the diary. "Angelus leaves Ireland, uh, wreaks havoc in, in Europe for, uh, several decades, and then, um, about eighty years ago, the most curious thing happens. He, he comes to, uh, to America, um, shuns other vampires, and, and lives alone. There's, there's no, no record of him hunting here."

"So he _is_ a good vampire!" Willow said. "I mean, on a scale of one to ten, ten being someone who's killing and maiming every night, and one being someone who's... not."

"I say that there's no record, but, uh, vampires hunt and kill. It's, it's what they do."

"Fish gotta swim, birds gotta fly," Xander stated.

"He could've fed on me. He didn't." Buffy was still trying to defend him.

"Question: a hundred years or so before he came to our shores, what was he like then?" Xander asked.

"Uh, like all of them," Giles answered blindly.

"More descriptively put, a vicious, violent animal," Ms. Calendar added.

In The Master's lair, The Master and Darla were having a conversation.

"Don't think I'm not grateful, you letting me kill the Three."

"How can my children learn if I do everything for them?" The Master asked.

"But you've gotta let me take care of the Slayer."

"Oh! You're giving me orders now!"

Darla walked away. "Okay, then, we'll just do nothing while she takes us out one by one."

"Do I sense a plan, Darla?"

She turned around.

"Share..."

Darla walked back. "Angel kills her and comes back to the fold."

"Angel! He was the most vicious creature I ever met. I miss him."

"So do I."

The Master considered, "Why would he kill her if he feels for her?"

"To keep her from killing him."

"Hmm." He spoke to Collin, "You see how we all work together for the common good? That's how a family is supposed to function!"

It was night, Buffy and Willow were in the school library. Ms. Calendar had gone home under Giles' advice. He'd thought she'd done more than her share during the day. Willow was helping Buffy study, anyway.

"Okay, so let's review," Willow stated. "Reconstruction began when?" She looked up. "Buffy?"

"Huh?" She came back to earth. "Oh! Um, reconstruction... Uh, reconstruction began after the... construction, which was... shoddy, so they had to reconstruct."

"After the destruction of the Civil War."

"Right. Civil War. During which Angel was already, like, a hundred and change..."

"Are we gonna talk about boys, or are we gonna help you pass history?" Willow asked.

Buffy looked up at Willow.

Willow closed the book. "Sometimes I have this fantasy that Xander's just gonna grab me and kiss me right on the lips." She smiled a huge smile.

"You want Xander, you've gotta speak up, girl!"

"No, no, no, no. No speaking up. That way leads to madness and sweaty palms."

Darla peeked out from behind the stacks.

"Okay, so here's something I gotta know. When Angel kissed you... I mean before he turned into... how was it?" Willow asked.

Buffy smiled. "Unbelievable!"

Darla continued to watch and listen.

"Wow! And it is kinda novel how he'll stay young and handsome forever, although you'll still get wrinkly and die, and... Oh, and what about the children?"

Buffy looked at her.

"I'll be quiet now."

"No, it's okay. I need to hear this. I need to get over him so I can..."

"So that you can..." Willow made a stabbing gesture.

"Like Xander said, I'm the Slayer, and he's a... vampire. God, I can't! He's never done anything to hurt me..." She collected herself. "Okay, no, I need to stop thinking about this. Okay, let's give another half an

hour and maybe something will sink in. And then I'm going home for some major moping."

Darla smiled and backed away.

"Okay. The era of the congressional reconstruction, usually called radical..."

At the Summers house, Joyce was in the kitchen doing her taxes and having coffee. She heard creaking on the porch outside and got up to investigate. She looked out the door window and saw nothing.

She opened the door a bit and still there was nothing. She closed the door and headed to the front. Darla looked in, sporting her game face. Joyce walked slowly through the living room and heard a knocking on the door. She looked out, saw Darla in her human guise and opened the door. "Hello?"

"Hi! I'm Darla? A friend of Buffy's?"

"Oh!" Joyce sighed in relief. "Nice to meet you."

Darla exhaled. "She didn't mention anything about me coming over for a study date, did she?"

"No, I thought she was studying with Willow at the library."

"She is. Willow's the Civil War expert, but then I was supposed to help her with the War of Independence. My family kinda goes back to those days."

"Well, I, I know she's supposed to be home soon. Would you like to come in and wait?" Joyce asked.

Darla entered the house. "It's very nice of you to invite me into your home." She smiled.

"You're welcome. I've been wrestling with the IRS all night. Would you like something to eat?" She headed into the kitchen.

Darla followed. "Yes, I would!" She looked at Joyce's neck.

In the kitchen, Joyce looked around. "Let's see what we have. Do you feel like something little or something big?"

Darla vamped out. "Something big!"

Angel was walking up to the house. He almost knocked, but then decided to leave. As he went, he heard Joyce scream. He ran around to the back door and kicked it in. He saw Darla biting Joyce. "Let her go!"

"I just had a little, there's plenty more. Aren't you hungry for something warm after all this time? Come on, Angel. Just say 'Yes'!" Darla shoved Joyce into Angel's arms so he could see the bite and smell the blood. He struggled with himself and looked away from the bite. Darla watched with a big smile. Angel looked up at her again with his game face on. "Welcome home!" She walked around them and left the house.

Angel continued to struggle with himself.

Buffy came into the dining room, and Angel looked up. "Hey! I'm home." She turned toward him and froze with fear.

Angel bore his fangs and growled.


	3. Chapter 3

Angel flew through the living room window of the Summers house, tumbled over the porch, through the bushes, and onto the lawn.

Buffy came over to the broken window and looked out at him as he got up. "You're not welcome here. You come near us and I'll kill you."

Angel just looked at her. Buffy turned away and walked further into the house, and Angel turned to leave.

Inside, Buffy grabbed the phone, dialed 911, and went over to kneel by her mother. "Mom! Mom, can you hear me?"

The operator answered.

"Yes, I need an ambulance, 1630 Revello Drive! My mother cut herself, she lost a lot of blood! Please, please hurry!" She dropped the phone. "Mom!"

"Hey, Buffy!"

Buffy looked up to see Xander and Willow come in through the kitchen door.

"Oh, my God!"

"What happened?" Willow asked.

"Angel!" Buffy answered.

Of course, with the new trouble, Ms. Calendar was needed again. She and Giles rushed down the hospital corridor, trying to find Joyce's room.

"Do you remember anything, Mom?" Buffy asked her mother, who lay in a hospital bed.

"Just, um, your friend came over... I was gonna make a snack..."

Buffy misunderstood. "My friend?"

Giles and Ms. Calendar quietly came in.

"I guess I slipped and cut my neck on... The doctor said it looked like a barbecue fork." She looked at Buffy. "We don't have a barbecue fork." She looked at Giles and Ms. Calendar. "Are you more doctors?"

Buffy looked to see. "Oh! Um... No, Mom, this is Mr. Giles, and Ms. Calendar."

"Oh, the librarian from your school! And the..."

"Computer Science teacher," Buffy filled in.

Joyce was confused. "What are they doing here?"

"Uh, we-we just came to pay my respects, wish you a speedy recovery," Giles stated.

"Boy, the teachers really _do _care in this town."

"Get some rest now." Buffy gave her mom a kiss, and they all went outside the room. "She's gonna be okay. They, they gave her some iron... Her, uh, blood count was a, a little..."

"...A little low. It presents itself like mild anemia. Uh, you, you were, uh, lucky you got to her as soon as you did," Giles told her.

"Lucky? Stupid."

"Buff, it's not your fault," Xander told her.

"No? I invited him into my home. Even after I knew who he was, what he was, and I didn't do anything about it... 'cause I had feelings for him, because I cared about him."

"If you care about somebody you care about them. You can't change that by..." Willow began.

"...Killing them?" Buffy finished. "But I think it's a start." She started to leave.

"Uh, we'll keep an eye on your mom," Xander offered.

Ms. Calendar chased after her. "Buffy!" She blocked her way.

"You can't stop me. The Three found me near the Bronze and so did he. He lives nearby."

"This is no ordinary vampire." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "If there is such a thing. Now, he knows you. He's faced the Three! I think this is gonna take more than a simple stake."

"So do I."

Later, Buffy was in the armory at the library, loading the crossbow with bolts.

"She's out hunting you right now." Darla was in Angel's apartment. "She wants to kill you."

"Leave me alone."

"What did you think? Did you think she would understand? That she would look at your face... your true face... and give you a kiss?"

Buffy took a practice shot at an anti-smoking poster and nailed the guy in the heart.

"For a hundred years you've not-"

Buffy lowered the bow.

"Had a moment's peace because you will not accept who you are. That's all you have to do. Accept it. Don't let her hunt you down. Don't whimper and mewl like a mangy human. Kill! Feed! Live!" Darla pushed Angel to the limit.

He jumped up and shoved her against the wall with her arms pinned up. "Alright!"

"What do you want?" Darla asked.

"I want it finished!"

"That's good. You're hurting me." Darla smiled. "That's good, too."

Outside the Bronze, Buffy had the crossbow ready. She came through a hole in the fence and went toward the entrance. She heard glass breaking above her and turned to the noise. She looked around as she went to the wall where there was a ladder. She started to climb.

In the hospital room, Joyce was talking to Giles and Ms. Calendar. "She talks about you all the time. It's important to have teachers who make an impression."

"She makes quite an impression herself," Giles stated.

" I-I know she's having trouble with history. I-is it too difficult for her or is she not applying herself?" Joyce asked.

"She lives very much in the 'now', like me, and history, of course, is 'then', like him," Ms. Calendar replied. She patted Giles on the shoulder.

Giles sent Ms. Calendar a look. "B-b-but there's no reason..."

"She's studying with Willow, she's studying with Darla, I-I mean, she is trying."

"Darla?" Giles and Ms. Calendar asked in unison.

"I-I-I don't believe I know, uh..."

"Her friend, the one who came over tonight."

"Darla came to your house tonight? She's the friend that you mentioned earlier?" Ms. Calendar asked.

"Poor thing, I must've frightened her half to death when I fainted. Someone should really check and make sure she's alright."

Giles got up. "Yes, someone should, right away."

Ms. Calendar stood up as well. "We'll do it."

Giles grabbed his coat and the two left.

"That school is amazing!" Joyce was in awe.

In the hall, Ms. Calendar and Giles walked with Willow and Xander.

"We have a problem," Ms. Calendar stated.

At the Bronze, Buffy came down a set of stairs. When she got to the bottom, she quickly turned to have a look around.

Angel backed into the shadows.

Buffy heard a noise and pivoted toward it. "I know you're there. And I know what you are."

"Do you?"

Buffy faced his voice.

"I'm just an animal, right?"

"You're not an animal. Animals I like." Buffy kept looking around her.

Angel growled and came out of the shadows to face her. She trained the crossbow on him.

"Let's get it done!" Angel growled and began to run. He jumped onto a pool table. Buffy followed him with her aim and shot, but missed. Angel jumped onto the catwalk above. Buffy couldn't see him in the shadows. He swung down and kicked her in the back, knocking her onto a pool table. She did a standing back kick at him behind her and sent him into the wall. She ran around the table and dived for the crossbow. She rolled onto her back and took aim at him. He slowly got up and growled.


	4. Chapter 4

At the Bronze, Angel had his game face on and Buffy had her crossbow trained on him.

Angel morphed back into his human form. "C'mon! Don't go soft on me now!"

Buffy launched the bolt. It hit the wall next to him.

"Little wide," Angel commented.

"Why?" Buffy got up. "Why didn't you just attack me when you had the chance? Was it a joke? To make me feel for you and then... I've killed a lot of vampires. I've never hated one before."

"Feels good, doesn't it? Feels simple."

"Why not? I killed mine. I killed their friends... and their friend's children... For a hundred years I offered ugly death to everyone I met, and I did it with a song in my heart."

"What changed?"

"Fed on a girl about your age... beautiful... dumb as a post...but a favorite among her clan."

"Romany. Gypsies. The elders conjured the perfect punishment for me. They restored my soul."

"What, they were all out of boils and blinding torment?"

"When you become a vampire the demon takes your body, but it doesn't get your soul. That's gone! No conscience, no remorse... It's an easy way to live. You have no idea what it's like to have done the

things I've done... and to care. I haven't fed on a living human being since that day."

"So you started with my mom?"

"I didn't bite her."

"Then why didn't you say something?"

"But I wanted to. I can walk like a man, but I'm not one. I wanted to kill you tonight."

Buffy looked at her bow and back at Angel. She put the bow down on the floor and approached him. She offered her neck. "Go ahead."

Angel just looked at her in silence.

"Not as easy as it looks."

"Sure it is!"

They turned toward the voice ans saw Darla coming out of the shadows.

Outside, Giles, Ms. Calendar, Willow, and Xander were walking down a street.

"We're near the Bronze. What now?" Willow asked.

"Keep looking for her," Giles answered.

"I have a question: what if we find her and she's fighting Angel and some of his friends? What the heck are we gonna do about it?" Xander asked.

In the Bronze, Darla asked, "Do you know what the saddest thing in the world is?"

"Bad hair on top of that outfit?" Buffy hid an insult inside a guess.

"To love someone who used to love you."

Buffy looked at Angel. "You guys were involved?"

"For several generations," Darla answered.

"Well, you been around since Columbus, you are bound to pile up a few ex's. You're older than him, right? Just between us girls, you are looking a little worn around the eyes."

Darla smiled. "I made him. There was a time when we shared everything, wasn't there Angelus? You had a chance to come home, to rule with me in the Master's court for a thousand years, but you threw that away because of her. You love someone who hates us. You're sick. And you'll always be sick. And you'll always remember what it was like to watch her die." She smiled again. "You don't think I came alone, do you?"

"I know I didn't." Buffy kicked the bow up into her hands and aimed it at Darla.

"Hmm, scary." Darla produced two pistols from behind her back, one in each hand. "Scarier!" She shot Angel. He staggered back onto a post. "Oh, don't worry. Bullets can't kill vampires. Can hurt them like

hell, but..." she giggled.

Buffy retreated. Darla started shooting at her. Buffy did a diving shoulder roll over a pool table and took cover behind it.

Outside, Willow, Ms. Calendar, Giles, and Xander heard the shots from inside the Bronze.

"Did you just hear...?" Xander trailed off.

They ran to find a way in.

Inside, Buffy reloaded the crossbow.

"So many body parts, so few bullets. Let's begin with the kneecaps. No fun dancing without them." Darla capped off a few more rounds, and the pool table took a few hits. Buffy popped up with the crossbow and took a shot at Darla. She doubled over when it hit her in the abdomen. Buffy watched as she straightened back up again. "Close, but no heart." She grabbed the bolt, pulled it out, and tossed it aside.

Ms. Calendar, Giles, Willow, and Xander were crawling along the floor.

"We need to distract her, fast!" Xander stated.

"Buffy, it wasn't Angel who attacked your mom, it was Darla!" Willow called out.

Darla turned toward the voice and let a hail of bullets loose as they hugged the floor for cover. Angel pulled the bolt from the wall. Darla turned her attention back to Buffy and hopped onto the pool table. Buffy jumped up, grabbed the edge of the table, and pulled, knocking Darla onto her back. She pushed the tab;e away and started to run for cover. Darla fired off a few rounds as she rode the table across the floor. Buffy leapt for cover over a glass case in a dive roll as bullets broke it all around her. The pool table had stopped sliding, and Darla got up to look for Buffy. She hopped off of it and advanced on the counter while shooting. Giles got up and messed with the lighting system controls. The strobes came on. Darla looked up at him and stopped shooting. Buffy took the opportunity to change position.

Darla saw her move and let another volley loose. "C'mon, Buffy. Take it like a man!"

Angel came up behind her, roared, and plunged the bolt into her back.

She was surprised and cried out in pain. She turned to look at her attacker. "Angel?" She fell to the floor and burst into ashes.

Buffy rose up to see. Angel looked up from Darla's ashes at Buffy. She came out from behind the counter. He looked at her a moment longer and then turned and left. Buffy was speechless and just watched him go.

The Master screamed in his lair as he wielded a tall candelabra and smashed it in anger. He flailed out with his arms and knocked other things over. Finally, he sunk to the ground in grief.

Collin came over to him. "Forget her."

The Master looked up angriliy. "How dare you? She was my favorite. For four hundred years..."

"She was weak. You don't need her. I'll bring you the Slayer"

The Master replied despondently, "But to lose her to Angel! He was to have sat at my right hand, come the day. And now..."

"They're all against you. But soon you shall rise. And when you do..." He put a hand on The Master's shoulder. "...We kill them all."

The Master smiled at him and got up. Collin took his hand and lead him away.

Later, at the Bronze.

"Ah, the post-fumigation party," Xander stated.

"Okay, so what's the difference between this and the pre-fumigation party?" Buffy asked.

"Much hardier cockroaches."

"So, no word from Angel?" Willow asked.

"Nah. It's weird, though. In his way I feel like he's still watching me."

"Well, in a way he sort of is. In the way of that he's right over there."

Buffy looked over where Willow was looking and saw Angel. She briefly looked back at Willow and then headed over to him.

"I don't need to watch because I'm not threatened. Just gonna look this way," Xander stated. He and Willow sat at a table with him facing away from Buffy and Angel. Willow watched as Buffy made her way over to Angel.

The crowd was slow dancing to 'I'll Remember You', by Sophie Zelmani.

_ "Did they know what they wanted / The times they kissed me? / And your hands / I held in mine"_

Buffy and Angel reached each other.

"I just wanted to see if you were okay. And your mother," Angel told her.

"We're both good. You?"

"If I can go a little while without getting shot or stabbed I'll be alright. Look, this can't..."

"...Ever be anything. I know. For one thing, you're, like, two hundred and twenty-four years older than I am."

"I just gotta... I gotta walk away from this."

Buffy nodded. "I know. Me, too." She dropped her voice to a whisper. "One of us has to go here."

Angel whispered back, "I know."

They looked at each other for a moment longer, and then closed in to kiss. Their kiss became passionate. Buffy reached her hands up to Angel's neck.

_ "Your eyes / That always make me shiver / Now they are closed / They just sometimes twitch a little"_

"What's going on?" Xander asked Willow.

"Nothin'..."

"Well, as long as they're not kissing."

Willow just watched and said nothing.

_ "And your body / I could hold for an hour / It sent me to Heaven / With its heat and power"_

Buffy and Angel separated.

"You okay?" Buffy asked.

"It's just..."

"...Painful. I know. See you around?"

_"I'll remember you / You will be there in my heart / I'll remember you / And that is all that I can do / But I'll remember"_

Buffy walked away. Angel watched her go. The cross Buffy had been wearing had left a deep burn.


End file.
